Statement from Rep. Joe Garcia on Carlos Curbelo Calling Social Security and Medicare a "Ponzi-Scheme"

Press Release

In response to a new report and video in the Miami Herald revealing that Carlos Curbelo called Social Security and Medicare a "Ponzi-Scheme," during a meeting in Washington, today Representative Joe Garcia issued the following statement:

From Rep. Joe Garcia:

"Yesterday I stood up at a rally of thousands of seniors who had come to Washington to defend Medicare and Social Security against proposed cuts. It turns out Carlos Curbelo was in Washington yesterday also, but he wasn't standing with seniors, he was at a meeting with Republicans where he called Medicare and Social Security a 'Ponzi - Scheme.' It's disturbing that Curbelo is willing to sell out our seniors. We have a clear contrast in this election: I took on the President and won when he proposed Medicare cuts, and will never vote for the Tea Party budget that Curbelo supports because it ends the Medicare guarantee. Yesterday, Curbelo proved once again that he is wrong for South Florida, and that he's putting himself, his Tea Party allies and his paying clients before the interests of our community."

BACKGROUND:

Curbelo Called Medicare and Social Security "a Ponzi Scheme." The Miami Herald reported: "Taking a page from Rick Perry, Miami congressional candidate Carlos Curbelo called Medicare and Social Security "a Ponzi scheme" that needs extensive reforms in order to remain sustainable… "I speak about both of these programs as one because they both suffer from the same long-term insolvency, meaning that they won't be around for us, meaning that we're paying into a system that, you know, is a Ponzi scheme," he told the college students. "Rick Perry said that. That's one of the few things I think Rick Perry contributed when he ran for president last time -- and I worked for him, so I can say that."" [Miami Herald, 9/19/14]

Source